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Located just minutes from downtown and the Back Bay, the South End has become one of Boston’s most popular neighborhoods. It has attracted a diverse blend of young professionals, families and a vibrant gay and lesbian population to this Boston Landmark District. You will be sure to notice the South End’s renowned Victorian brownstone buildings and homes as you walk along Tremont Street, Columbus Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue. Some of Boston’s finest restaurants, a thriving arts community and nearly 30 parks also call the South End home.
The South End is a vibrant center with eclectic art studios, experimental theatres, and independent boutiques and galleries. The beautiful SoWa Arts + Design District coexists alongside more modern developments like Ink Block to make the South End a true microcosm of Boston, where history and innovation are in constant conversation.
Lined with brick bow-front town houses, most of which were built in the mid-1800s, many of the homes here have hidden gardens. Explore it on foot to discover pocket parks, tiny bakeries and some of the city’s best restaurants. The South End and neighboring Roxbury share cultural and architectural histories that blend seamlessly around Massachusetts Avenue.
Local residents love that the neighborhood is supremely walkable, and is ideal for small kids thanks to a bevy of adorable playgrounds and parks. While its proximity to Back Bay and Chinatown is a bonus, you’ll find some South Enders who rarely leave the neighborhood—and some who treat crossing over Mass. Ave. like stepping onto hot lava. Such a close-knit community is difficult to break into. Interested buyers first have to make it through bidding wars, cancelled open houses, and exorbitant prices before finally settling in.
Through its history, the South End has managed to maintain the charm that put it on the map in the first place. While it’s true some landmarks have given way to shiny new buildings, its stately rows of brownstones will always underscore the character of Boston.
Public Transit Options
There are no MBTA train stops in the South End, but the Ruggles, Back Bay, Tufts Medical Center, and Massachusetts Avenue stops on the Orange Line are nearby.
Grocery Stores
Whole Foods Market Ink Block
348 Harrison Ave., Boston
Foodie’s Market
1421 Washington St., Boston
Perks
The South End is often declared as Boston’s best food neighborhood. Acclaimed restaurants like Coppa, SRV, Toro, B&G Oysters, and Kava Neo-Taverna are constantly packed, but there are also plenty of great classics that have held on through the years. Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, which served black jazz musicians when hotels were segregated, has even made it to the front page of the New York Times thanks to a visit from Al Gore when he ran for president. (And they have a bathroom now!) Don’t skip other classics like Anchovies, Delux Cafe, and Foley’s, as well as landmark gay bars The Eagle and Club Cafe. A night of listening to jazz at Wally’s Cafe is also a must.
Did You Know?
The Elevated Orange Line train once ran up Washington Street, connecting downtown Boston with Roxbury at Nubian Station (then named Dudley Station), and continuing out to Forest Hills. But by 1987, it was weathered from old age, and the El was torn down. Though it was eventually replaced by the Silver Line bus, the removal did cause trouble for some residents—particularly those who lived in Roxbury and relied on what was once called Dudley Station. Northampton Station was removed, with its remnants sent to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunk, Maine, as was Dover Station, which sat on East Berkeley Street. While you can’t catch a ride on the Elevated Orange Line these days, it was immortalized in the final scenes of the opening credits of ’80s medical drama St. Elsewhere. (It’s at 1:11 in the video below.) The hit show was set at the fictitious St. Eligius Hospital, which you may recognize as the Franklin Square Apartments on East Newton Street. Dover Station no longer exists, but you can still catch a glance of its bright orange sign hanging inside the bar at Foley’s.
If you are interested in purchasing a property in South End please click here to make an inquiry.
If you are interested in renting a property in South End please click here to make an inquiry.